Well-Being Coaching Training: Character, Resilience and Well-Being

• Background: The level of stress in the 21st century is increasing the risk for lifestyle and stress-related illness in all populations, including health care professionals who have the double burden of their personal problems and those of their patients. Between 2009 and 2014, psychiatric diagnoses, including burnout, have doubled in health care populations like nurses, doctors, and psychotherapists [1]. In order to help others, health care professionals have the need of a variety of tools and approaches to work on their own resilience, health, and well-being. The Anthropedia Foundation in collaboration with the Center for Well-Being at Washington University in St. Louis developed a specialized training that is person-centered, interdisciplinary, and biopsychosocial in orientation. This training can be integrated into existing professions or used independently. The training program has been designed to increase three character dimensions (self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence) that have been shown to lead to increases in physical and mental health, resilience, and overall well-being [2-4]. Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether well-being training was effective in increasing character scores in the training participants. Method: 50 trainees were given the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Temperament and Character Inventory before and after the one-year training. Paired t-tests were performed to examine significant differences. Results: Analyses showed significant differences in the Temperament and Character Inventory subscales of self-acceptance (t = 2.2, df = 49, p < .05, Cohen’s D = 0.77), empathy (t = 2.6, df = 49, p < .05, Cohen’s D = 0.90), moral reasoning (t = 3.17, df = 49, p < .01, Cohen’s D = 1.11), and the scale of self-transcendence (t = 2.98, df = 49, p < .01, Cohen’s D = 1.04). There was a marginal increase in positive emotions (t = 1.18, df = 49, p < .05) and life satisfaction (t = 1.57, df = 49, p < .05), and a marginal decrease in negative emotions (t = 1.26, df = 49, p < .05). Conclusions: Results suggest that the training methodology increased subjective well-being, as well as self-directedness (self-acceptance), cooperativeness (empathy and moral reasoning), and self-transcendence. Cross-cultural studies on these character dimensions have demonstrated strong relationships between increases in character development and perceived social support, perceived health, and resilience [2-4]. In other words, the well-being coaching training increases sustainable global health, resilience and psychological well-being, and not simply hedonic well-being. The coaching is more intensive since it is one-on-one, thus we expect the effect on subjective well-being and character to be even greater for coachees.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Pedagogik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Pedagogy (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Well-Being Training

Character

Coaching

Personality

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